July 11, 2007

Otis Smith:
“First of all, I just want to thank all of you guys for coming here and joining us. It was a long time getting here. We set out at the start of free agency to attract a big-time free agent and someone who could score the basketball. We targeted one guy and we got that guy, somebody who could score the ball and help our young team get better, and somebody who was also in the prime of his NBA career. I hope this is the start of us on podiums, so without further ado, I would like to introduce to the Orlando community Rashard Lewis.”

Rashard Lewis:
“First of all, I want to start out by saying that I am extremely happy to be here in Orlando with this organization, the coaches and Otis – they are great guys. I think obviously that night of the free agency – I met with Seattle at midnight and after the meeting, I got a call from my agent (saying) that Orlando did call, and I was so extremely excited about it. I don’t think I got very much sleep that night. I was ready to get on a flight and come out here. This is a first-class organization and they treated me with respect and rolled out the red carpet for me. Honestly, when I first came, with the respect they treated me with from the entire organization, I pretty much knew the decision I was going to make. The rest was just up to (Smith and Coach Van Gundy).”

On what put Orlando No. 1 on his list…
“They are a young, talented team that did make the playoffs this year and has no way but to go up. I feel like I am still young and still peaking and I can grow with this group of guys and (they are) a young team I think that has a chance to compete for an NBA championship. If you look at all the past teams that have won championships, there have always been four of five to help contribute to that, and with Dwight Howard on your team, I know we have a good chance.”

On if playing with Dwight Howard enticed him to come here…
“I think that was the main thing. I have scouted this team throughout the year – there were a number of teams that I watched because I knew I was going to be a free agent. This was one of the many teams I scouted throughout the year watching these guys play throughout the season and going to the first round of the playoffs. I felt like I couldn’t do anything but go in there and help this team.”

On how the free agency period was for him…
“The whole free agency period, ever since the season was over in Seattle, with everything that is going on in Seattle and me being a free agent, it was just a little stressful because I didn’t know where my future was headed. But once July came, the picture became a little bit clearer.”

On what positions he can play…
“I can play small forward, power forward, it is all up to this man right here (Coach Van Gundy). But I think it depends on the team you are playing against. Sometimes you have to adjust to your style of game. If that means going small ball and playing the four, which I can do, or if he wants to go to a bigger lineup and put me at the two, there are a number of places I can play on the floor.”

Stan Van Gundy:
On if the combination of inside-outside is still the way to go in the NBA…
“I will say this, you can probably do it a lot of different ways, but I don’t know if the formula of a great perimeter player and a great inside guy has failed very often. Those are always very good teams. There may be other ways to do it, but the most tried and true formula in this league is to have one great perimeter player and one great inside player.”

On how he feels about the signing…
“I feel pretty fortunate, I will be honest. I have had the job a month and to have this signing makes our roster very good. But even more than that, I think what this says to me and what our organization has done with Rashard shows me certainly, and should show everybody out there, how committed this organization is to winning and to winning a championship. To go out and make the commitment that we made to Rashard to bring him here – I think there can’t be any doubt in this community about how committed this ownership is and this organization is.”

On what he thought of him when he was the head coach for the Heat…
“I looked back on that, and we didn’t stop him, along with a lot of other people. We weren’t alone though – you don’t average over 20 in this league for three straight years if a lot of people are stopping you. I didn’t have a lot of answers then, and hopefully a lot of other people won’t find it here.”

Rashard Lewis:
On his defense…
“To me, I think my defense is overlooked. The past year I feel like I have improved, and even my coaches have told me that I have improved. But to me, in the NBA, there is no one-on-one defense. Team defense is what wins ballgames. It’s hard for one guy to guard me, but it’s hard for me to guard Kobe Bryant, and I think that’s why you have to be on the same page and play team defense in order to be successful.”

On what he didn’t like about Seattle…
“It looked like they were starting over. I mean, I would love to continue with their team, but at the same time I’m going into my prime and playoffs are somewhere that I want to be and I feel that Seattle is a couple years away from becoming a playoff team. They drafted a great player, they still have great talent out there, but at the same time for my future, I am looking forward to getting to the playoffs and competing for a ring. And if I went back to Seattle and played three or fours years before getting back to the playoffs, it would take years off my prime.”

On the fact that other teams pursued him even though he had verbally agreed with the Magic…
“Yeah, especially Houston. I went home and I had a jersey on my front porch and a big box. They were pretty much catering to me, but at the same time, I knew where my heart was and I knew what I wanted to do, and the decision was probably made before these guys even put a contract out there for me. I knew exactly what I wanted to do.”

Otis Smith:
On if Otis was worried about other teams getting Rashard…
“I was nervous until about 12:30 this afternoon, until you got all the t’s crossed and I’s dotted. But to their credit, we left each other on the third and were pretty confident that we were going to get a deal done.”

Rashard Lewis:
On how important it was for Rashard to come to the Eastern Conference…
“The Western Conference is obviously the juggernaut of the NBA, but looking at the playoffs this year watching Orlando make the playoffs and watching LeBron take Cleveland to the Finals, I feel like he had help, but at the same time, what is the difference from us and Cleveland? I feel like we are going to have a chance to maybe even get to the Finals this year, like Cleveland did this year. We have a big man, we have a great point guard, we have a core of guys, not just me and Dwight Howard. We need those other guys to come in and contribute and then that is going to help us go a long way.”

On if he has you talked with any of his new teammates…
“Yeah, I’ve talked with Dwight Howard. Jameer Nelson came and picked me up actually on my first visit, and I hung out with him a little bit. He’s a good guy. They’re guys with my same type of personality, so that makes it easy to get along with them.”

On if they are excited to have him on the team…
“Oh yeah, everybody’s excited. I’m more excited than them, but I think they are just as excited.”

On how much of his move was motivated by the money…
“I would have to say at this point in my career it is not about the money. I’ve been through three contracts with the Seattle Supersonics, so I have money saved up. I’m looking at my future and playoffs and championships. In Seattle, they have young guys and the future is bright, but at the same time they have work to do. I feel that coming here with Dwight Howard, who is about ready to get an extension, and me signing this deal, you know we are under contract for the next 5-6 years, and that lets us know that we are going to be together and grow together as a family and will make the team a lot better.”

Otis Smith:
On Rashard’s desire to win…
“To his credit, he’s been about winning since day one. Winning was important to him, and it’s important to us. To his credit, since the day we sat down, he has been about (wanting) to win about a championship almost with the same passion and conviction that I (have).”

On what Otis thinks about the roster…
“As far as thinking about the roster, we are looking at a team and looking in order to get them to a certain place. Sometimes there is a sacrifice, and you have to make the decision that is in the best interest of your team long-term. I think in looking at it with Rashard, that is what we did. We’ll remain active in free agency in doing that to maybe get another guard. I like our team that’s on the board, I like the versatility of our team that’s on the board. I like where we are.”

On if Darko will be back…
“I don’t think so. We renounced his rights earlier this afternoon.”

On if a sign and trade six-year deal could have worked…
“Yes, it could have happened.”

Rashard Lewis:
“I can answer that question without a doubt. Five years or six years, it didn’t really make any difference. I told my agent, I’m ready to start something new, I feel like there is new energy like I said with Dwight Howard. I feel something special growing, I feel something special coming.”

On if he knew Dwight before…
“Yeah I did, actually I met Dwight the year he was drafted before his first season in Orlando. I met him at a Steve Francis charity basketball game. That was the first time I met him, but like I said, he is a real nice guy, and ever since then we have been cool and I pick on him every once in awhile. We played him up in Seattle and he’s not the best free throw shooter, but come that night I was picking on him and he was making all of his free throws and kept saying “gooseneck” to me and would look at me every time he would make a free throw with a big smile on his face. I am going to keep picking on him.”

Stan Van Gundy:
On what position Coach Van Gundy is going to play Rashard at…
“I think he is a small forward, but I think if you look at the league now at the better teams, I think one of the things they can do is put a lot of different line-ups on the floor, and I think one of the things you have to do in coaching is, you have to number one find a way to get your best players on the floor together, and the most minutes. And then when you have a guy like Rashard and Dwight, who can play multiple positions, it allows you to play a lot of different combinations and adapt to almost any situation that comes up in a game.”

Rashard Lewis:
On what it says about Rashard that he was a second round pick…
“It says a lot, obviously I came from the second round, but I’ve gotten better every year and continued to improve, but at the same time I feel like I haven’t gained a lot of respect. Being in the Pacific Northwest, I wasn’t seen very much. I didn’t play in the playoffs which is where you get your publicity as a player and that’s what I feel like I came out here to do, to get in the playoffs and gain my respect in the NBA and get my name out there even more and become an elite player not just during the season but in the playoffs as well.”

On how hard it was to go through the losing season with Seattle last year…
“It was very difficult, especially with the injuries to Ray and myself. The most difficult part was when I got injured and missed 25 games. I traveled with the team, and sitting there watching the team go through what they went through losing games, losing close games. We went through a streak that was a franchise record for us, and it was hard to watch my team lose ballgames when you know you could go out there and help them, but you’re not able to.”

On what his injury was and if he is fully recovered…
“I tore the tendon sheet on my right hand on my middle finger and they had to repair and stitch it back together. But I came back stronger than I started the season I felt.”

Otis Smith:
On what Otis thought about not getting a sign-and-trade for Darko…
“Well, I think what is says about our league is how conscious we are of our spending and our tax. I think that’s why you’re starting to see that a little, because people are more conscious of where they are, people are not spending over and above, and they’re not going to do it unless they have access to it.”